Side-slip feeler controlled by box motion



Nov. 29, 1927.

W. H. WAKEFIELD SIDE SLIP FEELER CONTROLLED BY BOX MOTION Fi 1ed Auz. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. H. WAKEFIELD sum SLIP FEELER CONTROLLED BY Box MOTION Nov. 29, 1927.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1925 M/ze, 11 Maw Patented Nov. 29, 19 27.

I tJ-riii ED STATES WALTER n. WAKEFIELD, or woncns'rnn, Massnennsn'rrs; ASSIGIEOR'TO onorvirron a KNOWLES LOOM MASSACHUSETTS.

won'ns, on woiieris'rnn, ivressnorrnsn'rrs; a ocnPon-Aaaon'on' SIDE-SLIP FEELER CONTROLLED 'BY" noxivrorion.

Application filed-August 22, 19.25. I Serial No. 51342.

This invention relates to improvements in weft detectors for nnrlti-color weftrepl'enishing looms and it is the general object of the invention to vary thesensitivenes's of a side slip weft detector in timed relation with the active shuttle to the end that it may detect with'equal efliciency'on yarns of widely difiering sizes.

In the weaving of certain fabrics a band of very fine yarn is wovenb'etflween bands of much coarser yarn and in automatic weft changin'g'looms the weft detector engages the bobbins'carryingboth sizes of yarn. When a comparatively soft cotton yarn is presented to aside slip detector the latter should be disposed at a relatively small angle with respect to the detected surface so as to slide therealong when enough of the coarse yarn remains on the bobbin to lay at least two picks of filling. If the detector should remain at the same angle when engaging a bobbin carryingfine silk yarn it would give a premature indication because of the fact that a thin layer of silk sufiicient to weave many picksis practically as hard as the wood of the bobbin. Itis a further ob ject of my invention to prevent this premature indication by enlarging the angle of the feel'er when detecting silk so asto per mit the detector surface to sink deeper into the relatively 'hardlsurface of yarn. How ever, if the feeler should remain perma, nentl'yin the position for detecting silk it would not be able to indicate exhaustion of the coarser yarn until too little of the latter remained on the bobbin for continued weaving. V

Itis a more particular object of my invention. to provide amounting forthe side slip feeler which will'permit the detecting surface to engage the bobbin at substantially the same point in both angular positions, the detector swingingjabout an arc struck from the detecting surface thereof.

With these and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown a convenient embodimentqof' myfinvention, i

Fig. 1; is a front elevation of pertionsof a loom havingmy invention-applied thereto, Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevationof: the control block moving with the boxes; F 1g. 3 is a horizontal section on line of Fig. 2; F 4 is an enlarged top plan view lookmg. in the direction of arrow 4,- Fig. 1', and showing. the feeler set for detecting relatively coarse yarn Fig.6 is a View similar to Fig. l but. showing. the detector set for fine yarn,

Fig. 6 is a frontelevation looking in the direction of arrow 6, Fig. t,

Fig; 7 is a vertical section on of Fig, 5, and" r Fig. 8 is an enlarged section-on line '88 of Fig. 5. 1

Referring to Figs. '1, 2 and 3 it will be seen thatI have provided a loom frame having a gang of drop boxes 21 for the shuttles S on one end thereof supported by a hot: rod 22. The boxes and rod'are controlled as to vertical position by mechanism well understood but not shown. The rod carries a control block 23 secured thereto in any approved manner and having along the forward vertical face thereof'a groov e 24: provided with straight sections 25 andbffset sections 26. A picker foot 27is secured to rockershaft'28and has pivotally mounted'thereon asat 29 a lever 30 provided at the'uppe'r end thereof with a stud or similar device 31 which extends into the slot 24. The lower end of lever 30 is connected at 32 to a rod 33 extendingacross the loom and connected to a lever 34. Extending upwardly from the latter is another rod 35 the upper endof'which is shown in Fig. 6'.- As the boxes are moved vertically stud 31 will lie either in the straight portions 25- or the offset portions 26 and determine thevertical position of rod 35. The matter thus far described is similar to the devices shown in pending applications which I haveipreviously filed.

In carrying out my'present improi 'ements I provide a bracket40 secured to the -loom-' move in an arcuate slot 48 formed in the upper face of plate 41. A bolt 49 movable with the slide extends through the latter and the plate and carries a collar 50 loose thereon which is free to move in slot 51 formed in the plate 41. By means of slot 51 which is concentric with the slot 48, and the bolt, said slide is held against'upward displacement witlrrespect to the plate and the guides 47 are confined within the slot 48 as said slide is moved laterally by the connector 44.

Apair of ears 52 extend upwardly from I the slide and have mounted therein for free sliding movement a link 53 provided with a pin 54 received by slot 55 of lever 56. The detector proper comprises a rod 57 the straight cylindrical portion of which eX- tends through said link as at 58 and the rear end of which is broadened and provided with a pivoted yarn engaging tip 59. The forward end of the detector projects through lug 60 formed on the plate 46 and has threaded thereon a cross-head 61 adapted for engagement with the cars 52. A spring 62 extending between the lug 60 and cross head 61 serves to return the detector to the left after the latter has moved to'indicating position. In this way the entire detector is mounted on plate 46 to move therewith and in operative relation with the lever 56 by means of the link 53.

Said lever 56 is pivoted as at 63 to an eX- tension projecting from the plate 41 and has an arm 64 connected by a link 65 to control bar 66. The latter extends through an arm 67 upstanding from the plate 41. A floating lever 68 is pivotally mounted on a vertically reciprocating block 69 (see Fig. 4) and has connection as at 70 with the weft replenishing mechanism (not shown). The right hand end of the lever 68 moves in a slot 71 formed in the arm 67, but may have its movements arrested by said controller 66 which is provided with areas 72 and 73 disposed on opposite sides'of the vertical slot 74, spaced from the end of the bar 66.

Under normal conditions when weaving with a suliicient supply of cotton or other relatively coarse yarn the detector and parts associated therewith will be as shown in full lines in Fig. 4 with the rear end of controller 66 in front of slot 71 so that lever the controller 66 under the lever .68.

68 is free to move in said slot without interruption. At the time of substantial weft enhausti-oii the detector 57 will move to the dotted line position shown in said Fig. 4 and the lever 56 will be given a corresponding clockwise movement to bring area 72 of The latter is therefore prevented from descendiiig in its IlOl'HlZIl manner and an indication is given to the replenishing mechanism through connector 70. For further description of the lever 68 and its connection with the replenishing mechanism reference may be had to Patent No. 1,030,748. The plate 46 will remain as shown in Fig. 4 so long as coarse yarn is being woven, but when the boxes change and fine'yarn such as silk is brought into action, the upright rod 35 will be lowered and by means of connector 44 the slide 46 will move from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5. It is to be understood that the straight portions 25 of the cam 24 correspond to coarse yarn and the offset portions 26 correspond to fine yarn. As shown herein the top and bottom boxes will receive shuttles carrying coarse yarn and the second and third boxes will receive The slots 48 and 51 are the silk shuttles. both concentric with the detector surface so that the latter lies in substantially the same position when the slid moves from one to the other of its positions.

Und r normal conditions with the detector set for line varn in thedotted line position shown in Fig. 5 said detector will be disposed at a less acute angle with respect to the bobbin than is the case when detecting coarser yarn. The movement of the plate 46 to the position shown in Fig. 5 is accompanied by a rocking of lever 56 and a consequent motion of the controller 66 but the vertical slot 74 in said controller is so placed as to lie under the lever 68 when the detector is cooperating with a sufficient sup ply of fine yarn. .lVhen the supply of yarn becomes insufiicient the detector will move along the bobbin to the full line position shown in 1* ig. 5 which will resultina still further movement of lever 56 to bring area 7 3 under the lever 68, resulting in an indication as previously described. i

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a detector of the sideslip type normally oblique with respect to the bobbinv and capable of having the obliquity thereof varied, depending upon the character of the surface detected in order that the proper amounts of waste might result when yarns of widely varying sizes are used. It will also be seen that the controller has a plurality of inoperative and operative positions with respect to the lever 68 which controls the action of" the replenishing IDQCll-fl-DISDH' Furthermore, the detecting tip 59- is pivoted soas'tol'ie flat against the yarn in whatever position-the detector rod 57 may be.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifica tions may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom having a plurality of shuttles certain of which carry bobbins with hard fine and others of which carry bobbins with coarse yarn and said shuttles being shiftable so that each shuttle may be moved to active position, a weft detector slidable along bobbin to indicate exhaustion and normally disposed at an angle with respect to the detected surface, and automatic means acting in timed relation with shifting of shuttles to increase the angle between the detector and surface detected when said detecto' is to cooperate with a shuttle having a bobbin carrying relatively fine hard yarn.

2. In a loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes and shuttles, each shuttle provided with a bobbin and each box movable to active position, a weft detector slidable along a bobbin to indicate exhaustion of weft thereon, an angularly movable mounting for said detector controlled as to its angular position by the active box, and a controller effective to indicate weft exhaust-ion in either of two angular positions of the mounting.

3. In a loom having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each movable to active position, a weft detector slidable along the bobbin to indicate exhaustion of weft thereon, an angularly movable mounting to sup portthe detector in angular relation with respect to the surface to be detected, a longitudinally movable controller, an indicating lever controlled by said controller, and means to vary the angular position of the mounting in timed relation with the active shuttle box, said controller having a plurality of operative and inoperative positions with respect to the indicating lever.

In a weft detecting mechanism for a loom, an indicating lever, a controller therefor, and a detector capable of assuming a plurality of normal non-indicating positions, said controller being operatively connected to the detector and movable therewith and having a plurality of inoperative positions with respect to the indicating lever and also a plurality of operative positions with respect to said lever.

5. In a loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each mozible to active position,

a'weft detector slidable along a bobbin toanda control-lei effective to'ind-i'cate weft exhaustion in either of two angular posi tions of the mounting.

6. In a loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each movable to active position, a side, slip weft detector normally disposed at an angle with respect to the bobbin presented thereto and movable therealong to indicate weft exhaustion, and means dependent upon which shuttle box is in active position to vary the normal angular position of the detector. I

7. In a loom having shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each movable to active position, a weft detector capable of assuming a plurality of normal angular positions with respect to the bobbin to be detected and movable along the bobbin when the latter is exhausted to indicate weft exhaustion, the normal non-indicating angular position of the detector with respect to the bobbin being dependent upon which shuttle box is in actlve position. 1

8. In a loom having a plurality of shiftin shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each movable to active position, a weft detector slidable along a bobbin to indicate weft exhaustion and normally oblique with respect to the surface to be detected, and means dependent upon which shuttle box is in active position to varythe non-indicating Oblique position of the detector with respect to the surface to be detected.

9. In a loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each movable to active positionone shuttle having coarse and another shuttle having fine yarn, a weft detector slidable along the bobbin to indicate weft exhaustion, and means dependent upon which shuttle box is active to dispose said detector at a relatively acute angle with respect to the detected surface when the active shuttle carries coarse yarn and to dispose of said detector at a less acute angle when the active shuttle carries a relatively hard fine yarn.

10. In a loom having a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided with a bobbin and each movable to active position, a weft detector slidable along a bobbin to indicate weft exhaustion, and amounting for said detector capable of assuming varylng degrees of angular movetected and dependent for the amount of angular movement thereof upon which shuttle box is in active position.

11. In a loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes and shuttles each provided With a bob bin and each movable to active position, a Weft detector slidable along the bobbin to indicate exhaustion of weft thereon, and a mounting upon Which said detector is sup- 1 ported movable about the detecting surface of the detector as a center and dependent In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- 15 fixed my signature.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD. 

